Disuniting ski bindings



y Jan. 4, 1944.

H. JANSEN DISUNITING SKI BINDINGS Filed Dec. 29, 1941 2 sheets-sheet 1HOWA en x/AMsE/v H. JANSEN DISUNIITING SKI BINDINGS Jan. 4, 1944.

Filed Dec. 29. 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Haw/wo JANSEN INVEN Patented Jan.4, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISUNITING SKI BINDINGS HowardJansen, Portland, Oreg.

Application December 29, 1941, Serial No. 424,710

` 15 Claims. Cl. 28o-11.35)

This invention relates to ski bindings and more particularly tolbindings which will permit the boot to free itself from the ski uponundue stresses being imposed thereupon such as are likely to occur uponfalling of the skier.

A common form of ski binding consists of a toe fastening means whichengages with the opposite sides of the bootV adjacent the toe end and aresilient cable which extends around the heel of-the boot forcing theboot with a clamping action into the toe fastening means. Due to theresiliency of the cable, sufcient upward movement of the heel ispermitted to enable the skier to walk along, but the toe is fastened tothe ski so as to substantially preclude lateral shifting movements ofthe boot on the ski for' insuring proper control of the ski. However, aserious disadvantage inherent in the usual ski bindings is that the bootis thereby fastened to the ski so ysecurely that it cannot be detachedrapidly from the skis in the event of an i emergency. Thus, if a skierwhile gliding down slope should lose his balance, the'body upon strikingthe surface of the snow tends to roll on down the hill, while therelatively long skis offer a considerable resistance to a rollingmovement of the body and -a severe twist is imposed upon the ankles andlegs ofthe skier with the result that painful sprains or fractures mayfollow.

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a newand improved ski binding of the type described which will hold the bootfirmly inv place during normal maneuvering, and which will permit therelease of the ski boot from the ski automatically upon undue stressesbeing imposed thereupon.

It is a further object of the invention toprovide a new and improvedautomatically releasable ski binding, the component parts of which mayreadily be attached to the ski and to the ski boots by one of ordinaryskill and which after installation does not require further adjustmentto insure reliable operation thereof. y

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a new andimproved ski binding which is simple in design, reliable in operation,and low in manufacturing cost.

In accordance with the illustrated embodiment, the ski binding oftheinvention comprises a pair of metal cleats adapted to be flxedlyattached to the sole of the ski boot on the opposite side edges thereofadjacent the toe end. The cleats are provided with recesses in the sidewallsvthereof defining grooves or slots sloping upwardly from a pointadjacent the lower and forward edge of the cleats. A pair of metalmembers adapted-to be secured to the upper surface of the ski have armsextending upwardly adjacent the opposite edges of the ski boot sole. Inthe upper ends of these arms are arranged a pair of pins extendingtoward each other and which are adapted to be cooperatively received inthe cleat grooves as the boot is moved forward into position. Under theforce of the heel cable the ski boot is wedged tightly into positionbetween the side arms and against an upstanding toe plate so as toinsure proper control of the skis during normal use thereof. Upon theoccurrence of a fall, however, and an undue twisting torque between theboot and the ski, the boot will slide upwardly on the pin of one or bothof the arms and clisengage therefrom to permit the boot to move free ofthe ski.

Further yobjects and advantages will appear from the followingdescription, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, whilethe features of novelty will be pointed out with greater particularityin the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion ofa ski and a ski boot illustrating a binding constructed in accordancewith the present invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the ski portionshown in Figure 1 further illustrating the binding; Figure 3 is anenlarged sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1; Figures 4and 5 are fragmentary views in perspective illustrating functionalfeatures of the invention; `and Figures 6, 7 and 8 are additional views`in perspectivev illustrating various component parts of the ski bindingof the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, in Figure 1 is shown a portion I0 of aski having a boot II se cured thereon by means including an adjustableresilient cable I2 extending around the boot heel. The forward end ofthe boot is releasably secured to the upper surface of the ski by anarrangement which includes cleats I4 secured to the sole of the boot onthe opposite sides thereof, bracket arms I5 for cooperatively engagingthe cleats I4 and a toe stop I6.

Referring more particularly to Figure 8, the cleats I4 each comprises agenerally U-shaped metal member adapted to be secured to the oppositeedges of the boot soie with the side wall portion I3 thereof extendingsubstantially at right angles with respect to the plane of the sole. Thelower right angular extending flange portion I9 extends underneath theboot so-le and is adapted to be secured thereto such as by suitablescrews extending through perforatons 2I. The upper edge of the side wall'I8 is provided 4with right angularly extending ears 22 havingperforations 33 therethrough for attachment of the upper portion of thecleat to the boot sole as by means of suitable nails. The side wall I8of the cleat is provided with an upwardly sloping recess E@ forming apair of facing shoulders which define a slot which is open at theforward end of the cleat and adjacent the lower edge thereof. It will beobserved that the slot extends rearwardly of the cleat and upwardly ktoa point adjacent the upper Yedge of theside wall 13, being preferably ofsubstantially uniform depth throughout the greater portion of its lengthand tapers substantially to zero depth at its uppermost end. The cleatsof each pair have their respective slots E45 sloping in oppositedireetions so that when they are attached to the sole of a boot on theopposite side edges thereof the slots of the pair of cleats slope in thesame direction, that is, upwardly from the forward end and lowermostedge thereof. lnattaching thecleats to the boot sole it is preferred vtoYrecessthe edge of the sole slightly for the accommodation of thedepression in the side wall of the cleat forming the slot 214i in amanner lsuch as is `indicated Amore clearly in the cross sectional viewof Figure 3.

The bracket arms is, one of which is shown in the perspective view ofvvFigure 7, comprises la base portion 25 having a plurality of openings2,7 therethrough for cooperatively receiving a corresponding number ofscrews for the attachment thereof to the upper surface of the ski. EX-

tending upwardly from the base portion 2t and ysubstantially at rightIangles with respect thereto -is an arm 28 having a pin Zt rigidlysecured thereto and extending from the inner surface thereofsubstantially parallel with the base portion 2 6. rIhe height of the pin29V above the upper surface of the base portion 251s somewhat less thanthe thickness of the boot sole for reasons as will presently appear.rIhe pair of similar bracket arms l are shown attached .to the uppersurface of the ski in Figures?. and 3 with the outerends thereofoverhanging somewhat the adjacent edges of the ski. The bracket arms `vi5 are `so mounted on the ski that the `space between the facing surfacesof the upstanding arms `2li correspond substantially with the spacingbetween the outermost surfaces of the side walls L8 ci the metal cleatsi4 attached to the ski boot. The pins 29 attached to the arms 2i? are ofa ulength somewhat less than the depth of the recesses in the cleat sidewalls.

The toe Stop I6, shown more dearly the perspective View of Fleur@ 6.`comprises a ,base portion hai/ine .a -rzluralitvv of openings .3,2therein for cooperatively receiving screws for the attachment of thestop .to the upper surface of the sl-gi. Extending upwardly from theforward end vof the base portion 13.! are a pair of wall portions t3with a vertical slot 34 'extending therebetw .et .the base of thevertical slot at is a horizontal slot the metal struck out to form theslot being bent vdownwardly as indicated more clearlyat in Figure 1 tosupport the forward end of `the base portion 3l p .tly above the surfaceof the ski. The upding wall portions of the stop l5 are provided withlateral extensions 3'! which are ,adapted to be deformed with acurvature so as to fit relatively closely around the forward end .of theboot sole. The ski boot maybe fastened to the ski by lowering the skiboot onto the ski with the lower open ends of the `slots in the metalcleats M in alignment with the pins 29 on the bracket arms and thenmoving the boot slightly forwardly. The cable l2 may then be fittedaround the boot heel and tightened which will force the boot forward toits limit of travel as determined by the wedging action between the pins29 of the bracket arms l5 and the upwardly sloping slots formed in thesole cleats I4. rI'he stop E6 is fastened in place so that the toe ofthe A`boot sole just engageswith `the wall portions 33 as the boot isshifted to `its forward limit of travel under the force of the heelcable. rIhis will insure that the sole cleats |11 lit snugly between thebracket arms I5 thereby precluding relativelateral movement between theski and the boot during normal maneuvers.

.Assume now that the skier spills while traveling along and that hisbody starts to roll over while the skis, due to their length and digginginto the snow, are prevented from similarly rolling, resulting in atwisting of one or both of the -skiers legs. 'Upon such an applicationof vtorque to the ski binding the boot will pivot laterally about one ortheother of the bracket arm pins 29 causing theother side of the boot todisengage from the bracket arm ,pin on that side. lReferring moreparticularly to the perspective view of Figure 4 ,fassume that the bootis twisted relative to the ski in the direction indicated by the arrow.Pivotal movement of the vboot takes place about the pin of the bracketarm |75 Aas shown in Figuren and `binding or wedging of the pin 29within the cooperating slot in the ysole cleat is prevented by the toe,stop lli which precludes additional forward movementof the bootrelative to theiski. Such pivotal movement of the boot aboutthepin ofone `of the ybracket arms is accompanied by'a disengagementof the solelcleat von the .opposite yside' of the boot vfrom its correspondingbracket arm in a manner such ,as is indicated more clearly in Figure 5.rUpon disengagement of the one sole cleat Ifrom thecorrespondingbracketarm 4the sole Yof the vboot will be shiftedsubstantiallyy above the upper extremity of `the adjacent bracket k,armdueto theuppermostshoulder of the slot forming recess riding upon theupper surface of the pin. This will guide the sole of the boot over theupper end of the bracket arm to permit it to shift freely'sidewisesufficiently to Vpermit disengagement of the pin of the opposite4'bracket arm from its cooperating cleat slot. The boot is then free todisengage from the ,toe stop It and, since tension is 'thereby' relievedfrom the heel fcable, the boot is immediately detached from the ski.

It has been described above how disengagement is effected between the'boot and the ski upon a twisting movement therebetween. Such amovement, however,is lnot required vto effect a release o f the boot.Assume, for example, that the skier loses his balance -and lungesforward in the direction of the` skis, causing the boots to tiltforwardly pivoting about the toe portions. Upon such an occurrence theheel cables will stretch sufficiently to permit the boot to simply liftup oif of the pins 29 of the bracket arms due t0 the downward slope ofthe slot forming recesses in the sole cleats and the boot will then beVfreed from the ski. Thus any undue strain imposed Aupon the binding asthe result of a `fall will effect a release of the ski boots from theskis.

Due to the fact that the height of the pin above the surface of the baseportion 2B of the bracket arms is substantially less than the thick,

ness of the boot sole, there will be no possibility for the upper edgeof the sole to become hooked underneath these pins and so prevent thefreeing of the boot.

' The amount of force required to effect disengagement of the boots fromthe skis may be determined by adjusting the tension of the heel cable orby determining the curvature of the wing extensions of the toe stop I6,or both. It will readily be understood that the tighter the tension inthe heel cable the greater will be the force tending to wedge the toeend of the boot between the bracket arms I 5. It has also been foundthat if the wing extensions of the toe stop I6 are deformed so as to fitsnugly against the opposite corners of the toe of the boot sole, agreater twisting force will be required to be applied to the boot toeffect a disengagement thereof than if the wing extensions of the toestop yare permitted to are outwardly with a relatively slight curvature.

Once the cleats I 4 have been applied to the ski boots, the bracket armsl5 and the toe stop IB attached to the upper surface of the ski so as toiit the boot, no further adjustment of these parts will be required.

Having described the principles of my invention in what is considered tobe a preferred embodiment thereof, it will readily be understood thatthe specic details shown are merely illustrative and that the vinventionis susceptible of considerable modification of detail. It is intended,therefore, in the appended claims to cover all such modifications andvariations as fall within the true spirit and sco-pe of the invention.

I claim:

1. In combination, a ski boot, apair of generally U-shaped metal cleatssecured around the edge of the sole ofsaid boot 0n the opposite sidesthereof, a longitudinal groove formed in each of said cleats, saidgroove sloping upwardly from the lowermost forward corner o-f saidcleats, said groove being open at the lower end and closed at the upperend, a ski having bracket arms extending upwardly from the oppositesides thereof, pins secured to said arms and extending toward eachother, said bracket arms being spaced apart by a distance substantiallyequal to the width between the outermost surfaces of said cleats, saidpins being adapted to be cooperatively received in said cleat grooves.

2. In combination, a ski boot, metal cleats secured to the oppositeedges of the sole ofv said boot, a longitudinal slot in each of saidcleats extending upwardly therein from adjacent the forward end andlowermost edge thereof, said slots being open at the lower end andclosed at the upper end, a ski, bracket arms extending upwardly from theopposite sides of said ski, a pin secured to each of said arms andextending toward each other, said pins being adapted to be cooperativelyreceived in said cleat slots, said pins being spaced above the surfaceof said ski by a distance corresponding substantially to the distance ofthe closed end of said slot from the lower surface of the sole of saidboot.

3. In combination, a ski boot, a pair of metal cleats secured to theopposite edges of the sole of said boot spaced slightlyr rearwardly fromthe toe thereof, said cleats having surfaces substantially parallel withthe edges of said boot sole, a longitudinal recess in said cleats, saidrecess sloping upwardly from adjacent the forward and lowermost cornerof said cleats, said recess being closed adjacent the upper edge of saidcleats, a ski, a

pair of bracket armsmounted on said ski and extending upwardly from theopposite sides thereof, pins on said bracket arms and extending towardeach other and spaced above the upper surface of said ski by a distancesubstantially equal to the height of the closed end of said cleatrecesses above the sole of said boot, said pins on said bracket armsbeing adapted to be cooperatively received in said recesses by forwardmovement of said boot relative to said ski.

4. A ski boot, a pair of metal cleats secured to the opposite edges ofthe sole of said boat, said cleats having portions extending upwardlysubstantially at right angles with the plane of the sole of said bootand fitting closely against the opposite edges of said boot sole, meansforming a slot in the outer surfaces of each of said cleats, said slotssloping upwardly from the forward end of said cleats, said slots beingopen adjacent the lower edge of said cleats and closed adjacent theupper edge of said cleats, a ski, a pair-of bracket arms extendingupwardly from the opposite sides of said ski, pins on said armsextending toward each other and adapted to be cooperatively received insaid cleat slots.

5. Means for releasably securing a ski boot to a ski, comprising a pairof metal cleats adapted to be fixedly attached to the opposite sideedges of the ski boot, said cleats each having a slot formed in the sidewall thereof and extending upwardly from adjacent the forward lower edgethereof, said slot being open at the lower end and closed at the upperend, bracket arms adapted to be secured to the upper surface of a skiand having pins extending toward each other and adapted to becooperatively received in said cleat slots.

6. Means for releasably securing a ski boot to the upper surface of aski, said means comprising a pair of metal cleats adapted to be fixedlyattached to the opposite side edges of the sole of the ski boot, saidcleats each having a longitudinal recess in the side wall thereof, saidrecess extending upwardly from the forward end and adjacent the loweredge thereof, said recess being open at the lower end and closed 4at theupper end, a pair of brackets adapted to be xedly attached to a ski andhaving portions extending upwardly from the upper surface of the ski,and means on said arms adapted to be cooperatively received in saidcleat recesses.

7. A ski binding comprising a pair of metal cleats adapted to be iixedlyattached to the sole of a ski boot, each of said cleats having a wallportion extending upwardly against the opposite edges of said boot sole,a depression in the outer surface of said wall portion defining a slotsloping upwardly therein from adjacent the forward and lower edgethereof, said slots being open at the lower end, a pair of membersadapted to be secured to the ski and having portions for extendingupwarly closely adjacent the opposite edges of the ski boot and havingpins secured thereto and extending toward each other, said pins beingadapted to be cooperatively received in said cleat slots, and stop meansadapted to be secured to said ski for engagement by the forward end ofthe ski boot sole.

8. A ski binding comprising means adapted to be secured to a ski bootand defining a pair of slots on the opposite sides of said boot, saidslots sloping upwardly and rearwardly from a point adjacent the toe endof said boot, and means adapted to be secured to said ski and havingprojections adapted to be cooperatively received by said slots.

:9. Ayski binding comprising a pair of metal members adapted 'to `besecured to each V oi the opposite sides of a ski boot and having meanstherein defining :upwardly and rearwardly sloping slots, means adaptedto be secured to theski and having projectie-ns adapted to rbecooperativelyreceived in said slots.

10. A ski binding for releasably ataching a boot to a ski, said bindingcomprising a pair of cooperating members for the opposite sides of saidboot and ski, one of each of said members being adapted for attachmentto said boot and the rother to said ski, the one of each of said pairsof members for attachment to said boot having means dening an upwardlyand rearwardly sloping .groove and the other of said pairs of Vinembershaving a portion to be cooperatively received infsaid groove.

l1. A `ski binding comprising a pair of cooperating members one of whichis adapted to be fixedly attached to one side of a ski boot adjacent theforward end thereof, the other of said members being adapted forattachment to the corresponding side oi the ski, the one of said membersfor attachment to a boot being provided with a longitudinal recesstherein facing the other of said members and sloping upwardly andrearwardly from the forward end of said boot, the other of said membershaving means deining a projection adapted to be cooperatively receivedin said recess.

l2. A ski binding comprising a pair of members adapted for attachment tothe boot and the ski on each of the onposite sides thereof, the one ofeach of said pairs o1 members for attachment to a boot having alongitudinal slot therein extending upwardly and rearwardly relative tothe forward end of said boot, the other of each oi said pairs of membershaving means defining a projection adapted to be received cooperativelyin said slot whereby the 'forward end of said boot is held in the uppersurface of said ski with a wedging action between said, pairs ofcooperating members under a force tending to move said boot forwardly ofsaid ski.

13. A ski binding comprising a pair of oooperating members adapted to besecured to each of the opposite-sides of a ski boot and a ski,corresponding ones of each of said pairs vofcoo'per ating members forattachment to a boot having means defining a longitudinal slot thereineX- tending upwardly and rearwardly relative to :said boot, the othercorresponding ones of said pairs of cooperating members having meansdening a projection adapted to be cooperatively received in said slots,and means for urging said boot forward whereby the forward end of saidboot is held fast to the upper surface of the ski, and 4stop meansadapted to be mounted on said ski and to be engaged by the forward endof saidboot.

14. 1A ski binding comprising a pair of metal members adapted to bexedly attached to the opposite edges of a ski boot sole and having meanstherein dening a pair of spaced apart facing shoulders, means adapted tobe attached to the upper surface of the ski and having arms extendingupwardly adjacent the opposite sides of the boot, means on said armsdefining projections extending toward each other and adapted to becooperatively received between said pairs'of shoulders of each of saidmembers, a member adapted to be secured to the upper surface ofthe skiand having a struck up wall portion adapted to be cooperatively engagedvby the toe of said boot, said wall portions having lateral extensionsadapted to iit cooperatively around the corners of the forward end ofsaid ski boot.

l5. A ski binding comprising 'a pair of metal cleats adapted to be xedlyattached to the sole of a ski boot, each of said cleats having a wallportion for extending substantially parallel with the edge of the bootsole, means dening a slot in each of said cieat wall portions, saidslots extending upwardly frcm adjacent the forward and lower edge ofsaid cleats, the slots being open at the lower end and closed at theupper end, means adapted to be secured to the ski and having portionsfor extending upwardly adjacent the opposite edges of the ski boot andhaving pins secured thereto and extending toward each other, said pinsbeing adapted to be cooperatively received in said cleat slots.

HOWARD JANSEN.

